Chicago Bears starting left guard Teven Jenkins could still return to the lineup for Week 5’s game with the Carolina Panthers, but head coach Matt Eberflus is not yet prepared to say anything more than he is “day-to-day” with his injury.
Jenkins suffered a rib injury while making a block on a second-and-6 play during the Bears’ third drive of their 24-18 home win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5. The Bears then moved newly-anointed starter Matt Pryor from right guard to left guard to replace him and called veteran Nate Davis off the bench to cover Pryor at right guard.
While the Bears initially ruled Jenkins as questionable to return to the game, they ruled him before the second half with what Eberflus said September 30 was a “bruised rib.”
“Teven’s got a bruised rib,” Eberflus told reporters on Monday. “In terms of that, we’ll see where it is. He’s day-to-day, but we’ll see [how] he heals for tomorrow and then into Wednesday. We’ll make a designation at that point and see where he goes.”
The Bears should provide more details on Jenkins’ outlook for Week 5 when they issue their first injury report for their game with the Panthers following October 2’s practice. How Jenkins progresses — in terms of his practice participation — could go a long way in determining whether the Bears will have him available to start for them on Sunday.
Teven Jenkins’ Injury Could Force Bears to Play Nate Davis
Jenkins could still overcome his injury in time to play against the Panthers. He did so in Week 3 when he was dealing with a deep thigh bruise, gradually ramping up in practice before playing in all 90 offensive snaps for the Bears in their 21-16 loss to Indianapolis.
If Jenkins cannot return for Sunday’s game, though, the Bears may have no choice but to re-insert veteran Davis into the starting lineup after previously benching him.
Davis — a $30 million free agent signing in 2023 — lost his starting job at right guard to veteran Pryor heading into Week 3’s game against the Colts. While Davis did end up playing one snap at right guard when Pryor had to slide over to cover Braxton Jones at left tackle, he slipped and fell while trying to block for a screen and then exited again.
During Sunday’s win over the Rams, Davis played better in some regard, earning the team’s top pass-blocking grade (80.5) from Pro Football Focus. Still, the 28-year-old struggled as a run-blocker (44.9) and finished tied with struggling center Coleman Shelton for the third-lowest overall offensive grade (50.0) in the matchup.
The Bears are clearly frustrated with Davis’ inconsistent play, but Jenkins’ injury may put them in a situation where they must depend on him to play a prominent role for their offensive line. Alternatively, they could promote backup guard Bill Murray to the starting lineup, but the Bears do not seem to have an abundance of faith in him given they made him a healthy scratch in Week 4 and have not played him on one snap yet.
New Injury Complicates Teven Jenkins’ Contract Pursuit
Jenkins’ top priority is now getting healthy, but his bruised rib could have long-term ramifications for him with the Bears if his injury sidelines him for any amount of time.
Jenkins — a 2021 second-round pick — is in the midst of the final season of his rookie contract and is seeking an extension from the Bears before hitting free agency in 2025. He has expressed a desire to remain with the Bears for “a long time,” but he also said in July that the team told his agent to wait until after Week 7’s bye to “reconvene” about it.
While the presumption is Jenkins’ camp will still reach out to the Bears during the bye week, his injury could complicate things if he misses any playing time. The Bears must also weigh Jenkins’ disappointingly inconsistent play through the first four games.
Jenkins has only given up two sacks on the season and played fairly well in his limited snaps against the Rams before his injury, but he has not been the stabilizing force for the interior that the Bears had hoped. In particular, his run-blocking ability seems to have declined through the first four games even as his pass-blocking is improving.
Now, Jenkins still has plenty of time to sort out his slow start and injury issues and get back on track for the Bears’ offensive line. Chicago would also likely prefer that Jenkins stabilizes enough to justify giving him a new contract considering how many problems have emerged for the interior of its offensive line. Until Jenkins can prove he is worthy of being in the Bears’ long-term plans, though, his future in Chicago will remain hazy.
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